Diaper Rash/Yeast Rash/Eczema

We have been so blessed with such a healthy baby. Lillian has never been sick, other than a runny nose and cough which we always attributed to allergies or teething. She has only ever been to the doctor for well visits.

Sometime in June Lillian had a diaper rash that didn't seem to look bad or even bother her. Other than typical diaper rash treatment (Desitin, "air out", well towel instead of wipes) we didn't do anything about it. At her 15 month check up I asked the doctor about it since it still hadn't cleared up and he said it looked like a yeast rash up on her belly and just prescribed a topical ointment called Nystatin. We filled it and used it for a few days and it cleared right up. Well about 3 weeks ago it had come back and after a week it was getting worse to the point she was scratching at herself. She screamed when we changed her diaper. It looked horrible and I felt so bad for her. The severity would come and go but I hated it for Lillian so I called the doctors office one Friday after hours. The nurse called me back and was super awesome and helpful. She never once made me feel bad for calling in for just a diaper rash. She read Lillian's file and said she told me to just refill the Nystatin and she called in another prescription for something called Colestipol. This was a powder we had to mix with Balmex and it basically created a barrier over the Nystatin so her urine or a wipe wouldn't wash it off before soaking in enough. I asked the Pharmacist if we had to buy Balmex or would my Boudreaux Butt Paste work the same and he said to get the Balmex because it is thicker. I bought it because I wanted it to go away but I'm pretty sure diaper rash cream would have been fine.

Four days later we are not seeing any results. She is still scratching and in pain. At one point went through the Nystatin before our insurance would let us refill it again. Basically the Nystatin was just a prescription brand of an OTC anti-fungal or yeast cream like Monistat so I bought a CVS brand of that. Kevin calls the doctors office on a Saturday morning as soon as we know they will answer and they set us up an appointment with the on call doctor for 11:00 am. We see the doctor I tell him what has been going on he says the prescriptions should have cleared it up and since they aren't s he looks at it and says it looks like now it is just a skin irritation. I mentioned she has eczema and she says that's what it is so he prescribes a steroid called HYDROCORTISONE VAL 0.2% CREAM. We quickly filled that prescription and used it for two days and POOF soft as a baby's bottom again (literally). I am so thankful the rash has finally gone away. Since then she has had a small diaper rash here and there but no big deal (sensitive skin I presume) and I refilled the Hydrocortisone cream just to have on hand for other small eczema spots. We had a friend recommend Curel Itch defense lotion to use to help with the eczema and that has been helpful. It was a huge bottle for only $9 which beats the prices of OTC eczema creams.

I wrote all of this out for my future benefit but also for any other mommies out there dealing with diaper rashes. There are sooooo many creams out there to use and everyone has an opinion on which is best. The best one is the one that works for your child. We started with Desitin because that was the only kind I had heard of when we registered for Lillian and still have the same little squeeze bottle from her birth. And I bought the Boudreaux Butt Paste to have something different when I thought the Desitin wasn't working and also the Balmex because it was on the prescription. Also from my experience don't hesitate to call the doctor with questions, even a diaper rash. Diaper rashes can become a yeast rash or simply eczema and each one has a different treatment. Hopefully your pediatricians are as sweet and helpful as ours.

Ps. One huge benefit of this experience was some potty training. With Lillian running around diaper-less I was constantly asking her if she wanted/needed to go potty. She didn't go every time (she usually shook her head no after a few seconds of trying and I knew that meant she didn't need to) but she did a few times and only had one accident at our house. It got her interested and use to the potty (she use to be terrified of it) and now she goes before bath and even one time "requested" to go. I told her we needed to change her diaper before bed and she ran to the bathroom and pointed to the potty. I went ahead and put her up on it and she went! I haven't tried legit potty training yet as she only goes if we ask her but I am hoping we are getting close. A few techniques we are using for now are

-We give huge praise when she goes and she claps for herself as soon as she is done. No bribery needed yet.
- I put her on the seat before every bath
- I let her flush
- She is allowed to watch mommy go and then she gets to try after mommy. (3 times I have done this and she has gone)
- We can always tell when she is going #2 so I tried to get her to the toilet as soon as I notice but I think it scares her and I don't want to get her backed up so I wait until she is done and ask if she went "poopy" and after the first few times she started modding yes so I say let's go change it and she walks to her changing table in her room.